CRISTOBAL CRUZ W12 (maj.) THOMAS MASHABA

Toughness, tenacity and a CompuBox punch record for a 12-round fight carried Tijuana veteran Cristobal Cruz to a bitterly hard-fought majority decision win over highly regarded South African Thomas Mashaba in an upset on Friday Night Fights.

This was a terrific fight, almost non-stop action. Mashaba, the betting favourite, lost his IBO featherweight title and his dreams of big fights in America were dashed. The crushing disappointment was etched on his battered features when the decision was announced but, with the fight in the balance, it was Cruz who finished the stronger in the last two rounds.

A clear underdog, Cruz fought with a winner’s attitude, going right at Mashaba and throwing punch after punch from all directions, body and head, around the sides and up through the middle.

Mashaba’s punches were harder, and he landed some strong shots to the body, including a left hook to the top of the hip that had Cruz limping briefly in the third round. Cruz, though, was throwing so many punches that quantity was often overcoming quality.

That said, some of Cruz’s punches looked solid and hurtful — he wasn’t exactly pitty-patting, as shown by the swelling around Mashaba’s eyes in the later rounds.

Back and forth they went, but Cruz was often having the last word, seeming to throw six or seven punches after getting hit by two or three.

I had Mashaba up 96-94 after 10 rounds but he faded late, worn down by attrition, and among the 1,580 punches thrown by Cruz was a jarring left that had Mashaba’s legs going in the last round.

Cruz’s storming finish made it in effect anyone’s fight. Judge Glen Feldman had it all even, 114-114, as I did, but Tom Miller and Michael Pernick each had Cruz up by 115-113, scores with which I had no argument.

Fights such as this are great for boxing — 12 intense and exciting rounds, the issue in doubt to the very end, with a veteran journeyman gritting out a surprise win over a world-class fighter adding a feel-good factor. Just six days earlier Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez had treated fans to a great fight, but, at a lower class level, and in their own way, Cruz and Mashaba were great, too.